WWE World Heavyweight Championship Ladder Match
Seth Rollins (c) vs. Dean Ambrose
After feuding off and on for a year, we may finally see the conclusive chapter in the epic rivalry between Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, as they seem set to face off against each other in an interference free ladder match (fingers crossed). What a novel concept, a World Heavyweight title match built around who is the better man! WWE should try it more often.
The Road to Money in the Bank
For the third live special in a row, it looked like Kane and J&J Security's interference would once again directly allow Seth Rollins to retain the title at Elimination Chamber, but Dean Ambrose craftily took them all out with a top rope plancha to the outside and then followed up with a rebound lariat to smash Rollins to the floor.
Back in the ring, Rollins used the referee as a shield to protect himself from Ambrose's second top rope flying elbow drop of the match, but nevertheless Ambrose quickly struck him with The Dirty Deeds and got the three count when a second official ran down to slap the mat for the pinfall. We briefly had a new WWE World Heavyweight Champion until the original ref woke up and changed the decision to be a disqualification win for Ambrose. However, The Lunatic Fringe left the arena with the belt anyway, thanks to Roman Reigns saving him from an attempted beatdown by The Authority's minions to get the gold back.
The very next night on Raw, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon threatened to fine, suspend or fire Dean Ambrose if he didn't return the Championship (belt) to Seth Rollins immediately. However, instead of Ambrose coming out with his tail tucked between his legs, his buddy Roman Reigns came out to negotiate with The Authority on his behalf, as "he wasn't here and may never come back" unless he got a ladder match rematch for the title at Money in the Bank. When Stephanie declined the offer, Reigns goaded Rollins into accepting the bout by calling him "maybe the worst WWE World Heavyweight Champion ever".
Reigns was punished by The Authority for helping out Ambrose by having to win three matches that night against King Barrett, Mark Henry and Bray Wyatt to keep his spot in the Money in the Bank match. Ambrose returned the favour by coming out to save Reigns from an anticipated Authority goons attack at the end of the show including planting Rollins with The Dirty Deeds again.
On Smackdown, Seth Rollins declared in an interview that he didn't need The Authority's help to destroy Dean Ambrose at Money in the Bank, which The Lunatic Fringe then interrupted and told the liar that he had become soft and weak by being constantly protected by The Authority, while he himself had become stronger by scraping and clawing his way to the top of the mountain all on his own, and that because of those facts, he would be walking out of the pay-per-view with the Championship or he'll die trying.
With the June 8th Monday Night Raw being in the party city of New Orleans, Dean Ambrose spent much of the night posting wacky pictures of himself on Instagram parading around town with the stolen WWE World Heavyweight Championship belt to get underneath Seth Rollins' skin.
The plan worked out perfectly, as Rollins upset Triple H and Stephanie when he asked them what they were going to do about Ambrose's impertinence, just four days after he said that he didn't need their help. Washing their hands of the situation, WWE's power couple told him that they would only idly observe on Sunday night and forced him to wrestle an opponent of his own choosing to demonstrate what he could do on his own.
Seth Rollins also tore a strip out of J&J Security when they came round looking to forgive him for what he said on Smackdown and offer to be in his corner at Money in the Bank, calling them the two biggest morons in WWE history. When J&J surprisingly stood up for themselves, Rollins challenged them both to a handicap match later.
In an embarrassing disaster for Rollins, he lost to those two chumps when Dean Ambrose distracted him by throwing the WWE title strap into the ring and Mercury rolled him up from behind for the three count as he picked his belt up. One Dirty Deeds later and Ambrose had stolen the gold again, so we were back at square one.
Dean Ambrose pulled another fast one on Seth Rollins during the June 11th edition of Smackdown by pretending to give him his WWE World Heavyweight Championship belt back, only for it to be a replica. Ambrose claimed that he had lost the real version on his travels around The Big Easy, but promised to find it before Money in the Bank and bring it with him to the show.
What's at Stake?
Can Dean Ambrose prove that his visual pinfall over Seth Rollins at Elimination Chamber wasn't a fluke and prove himself to be the real, rightful WWE World Heavyweight Champion? Will his buddy Roman Reigns remain so supportive if he genuinely wins the strap this time around?
Can Seth Rollins overcome the lack of Authority back-up and his own crisis in self-confidence to defeat Dean Ambrose single-handedly? Will victory make himself even more emboldened to defy The Authority's orders?
Or will Ambrose and Rollins beat themselves up so badly that the winner of this year's Money in the Bank contract Ladder match decides to cash-in in his briefcase at the first available opportunity and screw them both out of the title in the process?
Find out the answers to these questions and many more by watching WWE Money in the Bank 2015 live on the WWE Network tonight and following our exclusive coverage on CagesideSeats.com!